James 3:2-6

Little, But Powerful

We all continually trip or slip into wrong actions. Thankfully, Christ's blood continually cleanses (1 John 1:7-9). The most common sins must be those of the tongue because James says the man that controls it is perfect and able to control his whole body (James 3:2). James used two illustrations to show the power of the tongue.

First, he referred to the bridle. By controlling the horse's mouth, the rider is able to control the whole horse. Similarly, we need to keep our tongues under control (Psalms 39:1). Then, James told his readers about the rudder. Huge ships are driven by fierce winds but are turned according to the pilot's desire by a very small rudder. The tongue is small like the bridle and rudder, but it is able to do great things, either good or bad. A great bonfire, or forest fire, can be started by one small match (James 3:3-5).

The tongue can be truly called a fire in its devastating effects (Proverbs 16:27; Proverbs 26:18-28). An uncontrolled tongue is totally wicked, in fact, a world of evil in itself. It stains the whole life in its sinfulness. The tongue often sets the stage for what we feel we must do. Robertson notes, "It is now known that angry words cause the glands of the body to discharge a dangerous poison that affects the stomach, the heart, the brain." There are two possible meanings for "course of nature." It is either all of one's life, or, the sum of all human existence. Both would be true. Hitler's evil tongue led the whole world to war. The tongue's fire is so destructive it can only be set on fire by Hell, which is the place of eternal punishment for the devil and his angels (James 3:6; Matthew 25:41).